Parliamentary Under-Secretary DEFRA (): My Noble Friend
the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Lords) ( of Ullock) has made the
following Written Statement:
As set out in the Land Use Framework and the Animal Welfare
Strategy for England, the Government committed to strengthening
the evidence base on gamebird rearing, release and shooting in
England.
I am today announcing that a Call for Evidence will launch on 4
September 2026 as the next step in delivering that commitment.
Gamebird rearing, release and shooting are established activities
within rural land use and management. They can contribute to
rural economies and land management, but their environmental,
animal health, animal welfare and wider impacts are not yet fully
understood. The Call for Evidence will gather information and
evidence to improve understanding of both the positive and
negative impacts associated with these activities.
The Call for Evidence will consider the rearing of gamebirds, the
release of reared birds from captivity, associated shooting and
land management activities, and impacts at local, regional and
national level. It will seek evidence on biodiversity, protected
sites and habitats, biosecurity and disease, bird of prey crime,
animal welfare, use of natural resources, and other relevant
environmental or social impacts.
Evidence gathered through this exercise will be carefully
reviewed, including by independent external reviewers for
information on release and shooting. This will support Defra's
understanding of these activities and their impacts and inform
any future policy development. No decisions have been taken at
this stage on whether to introduce any changes, and any future
proposals would be subject to public consultation.
The Call for Evidence will be published on GOV.UK and will be
open for responses until 1 November 2026.
